Ballistic shield
Encyclopedia
A ballistic shield or tactical shield is a hand-held shield
that is capable of defending the user from handguns
, shotgun
s and submachine gun
s. Less common are heavier and thicker rifle
-protection shields that are mounted on wheels for ease of mobility. Ballistic shields have been used by law enforcement
and military
throughout the twentieth century.
with a thin eye slot hole for vision. These were very heavy, which limited their usage in certain tactical situations.
There are various types of ballistic shields, modified for specific tasks.
Generally rectangular in shape, these protective shields have, until recently, been used to provide ballistic protection to law enforcement SWAT
tactical team members during dynamic entry situations and approaches towards potentially armed individuals. While SWAT already wear heavier armor than regular officers, it must be noted that their protection usually only covers their head, chest, and other vitals, leaving their arms and legs exposed. The ballistic shield is most necessary in situations where the SWAT team has little or no cover.
Modern ballistic shields are examined against the U.S. government ballistic protection rating standard, NIJ
-Std 0108.01. They typically rate Threat Level Type IIIA protection which can stop most handguns (9mm and .45), however some manufacturers' shields cover IIIA, III (Rifles) and IV, which stops armor-piercing rifle rounds.
Ballistic shields are also certified to many international standards where different ballistic threats are identified. Subsonic and supersonic rounds found around the world vary considerably from those found in the US and police and military clients have need to be protected from the threats within their jurisdiction. Tencate, United Shield, Mehler and MKU are some important providers of ballistic shields rated to international threat levels.
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
that is capable of defending the user from handguns
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
, shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
s and submachine gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
s. Less common are heavier and thicker rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
-protection shields that are mounted on wheels for ease of mobility. Ballistic shields have been used by law enforcement
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
and military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
throughout the twentieth century.
History
Early ballistic shields consisted of shaped sheet metalSheet metal
Sheet metal is simply metal formed into thin and flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and can be cut and bent into a variety of different shapes. Countless everyday objects are constructed of the material...
with a thin eye slot hole for vision. These were very heavy, which limited their usage in certain tactical situations.
Usage
Generally rectangular in shape, these protective shields have, until recently, been used to provide ballistic protection to law enforcement SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
tactical team members during dynamic entry situations and approaches towards potentially armed individuals. While SWAT already wear heavier armor than regular officers, it must be noted that their protection usually only covers their head, chest, and other vitals, leaving their arms and legs exposed. The ballistic shield is most necessary in situations where the SWAT team has little or no cover.
Modern ballistic shields are examined against the U.S. government ballistic protection rating standard, NIJ
National Institute of Justice
The National Institute of Justice is the research, development and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice. NIJ, along with the Bureau of Justice Statistics , Bureau of Justice Assistance , Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention , Office for Victims of Crime ,...
-Std 0108.01. They typically rate Threat Level Type IIIA protection which can stop most handguns (9mm and .45), however some manufacturers' shields cover IIIA, III (Rifles) and IV, which stops armor-piercing rifle rounds.
Ballistic shields are also certified to many international standards where different ballistic threats are identified. Subsonic and supersonic rounds found around the world vary considerably from those found in the US and police and military clients have need to be protected from the threats within their jurisdiction. Tencate, United Shield, Mehler and MKU are some important providers of ballistic shields rated to international threat levels.